The new 9th grade Language and Composition course is intended to give students additional instruction in academic writing separate from their 9th grade literature course. Through close reading of nonfiction texts, students will build an understanding of the rhetorical triangle and rhetorical techniques that effective writers use to persuade their audiences. This type of close reading is an essential skill for academic success.

As students become aware of writer’s craft, they will begin to incorporate new techniques in their own writing. They will be challenged to write clear, effective essays, and add their voices to academic discourse on a range of subjects. Our study of writing will be accomplished with practice, direct writing instruction, peer editing, vocabulary building and grammar exercises.